Hell Jumpers
by Arieko
Summary: A RWBY:HALO story that follows L.T. Cinder Fall's ODST squad through multiple bloody engagements against the alien Covenant & Flood. Read on as her team experiences loss, love, betrayal, anger, and hopelessness. This story will tie in as canon as possible in the Halo Universe; following its timeline closely. [Warning: Major Character Deaths]! [Multiple RWBY Ships Present As Well]!
1. Meet the Squad

**A/N: Okay; before everyone kills me for starting a new story, this one will not be updated weekly. It's going to be random updates so... Mostly a fun little side protect for me as I love reading Halo (Read all the books and like reading the wiki) and decided to tie in some RWBY with it using the characters in the Halo Universe. The time period we jump in at in this story is a couple of days before the planet Reach plunged into war with the Covenant.**

**This will feature RWBY characters (almost all of them) but mainly focus on Cinder's ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) team. So CRME + N and RWBY will be the "main" characters so to speak. Anyways... This will be as realistic-ly close to the HALO story and timeline as possible. I seriously have multiple wikis up as I type this. Although I am bound to make some mistakes, so please forgive me. Also will mention these chapters will most likely not be any longer than 3 - 4 thousand words in length.**

**Also I noticed for you RWBY yuri fans out there; I did tag this as Falling Petals and Freezerburn. This is basically the end game ships, but the beginning ones won't be these. Also big note that romance won't be a major thing in this story; so no awesome smex scenes... Maybe? We'll see. Anyways this will be an emotional story of loss and dealings with it as well as major battles against the Covenant.**

**Anyways enough talking; read on and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>July 22, 2552<strong>

_Aboard UNSC Beacon's Legacy_

_-16:44-_

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><p>"So… We're really getting replacements, huh?"<p>

First Lieutenant Cinder Fall looked over from where she sat; atop of one of the many weapon's crates in the small locker room, and at her second in command. Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick. Currently he was laying on the floor with his back against his locker, in a seemingly relaxed posture. The man's most distinguishable feature; his bright orange hair still not in military regulation as his bangs were covering up his right green eye. He was dressed in the standard ODST BDUs like everyone else in the room; save his helmet which lay next to him.

Exhaling to herself, Cinder glanced around the room solemnly towards the rest of its occupants who all wore a similar expression to her own, _tired_. There was Sergeant Tukson "Doc" her team's corpsman. The oldest out of everyone in the squad, Cinder knew he had seen the most bloodshed and death out of them all. His jet black hair was kept in strict military regulation and his hazel eyes were always narrowed as if he were annoyed. On the team's off time he usually had his head in a book, staying quiet unless he was needed. Despite his severe detached attitude towards talking with the others as he kept to himself, Lieutenant Fall wouldn't trade him for a dozen other corpsmen. Tukson was truly one of the best medics she had ever seen; placing his life on the line to ensure everyone and anyone a chance at living once wounded.

To Tukson's left was a dark skinned girl with mint green short hair. Lance Corporal Emerald Sustrai; better known as the unit's sniper. LCPL. Sustrai's skill with the SRS 99 Anti-Material sniper rifle was unmatched, she truly was one of a kind with the weapon; and Cinder very rarely gave out compliments. Once Sustrai's blood red eyes were homed in on you with that massive weapon; your life was over. Despite being known as the team's sniper though; Cinder knew her as something more; her lover. It had only started about a month ago, but L.T. Fall couldn't deny the girl's attractiveness, and after a particularly savage mission dealing with insurrectionists and the alien covenant at the same time; Cinder and Emerald found solace in each other. It wasn't long for the both of them to indulge in the more physical aspects of a relationship. In this line of work, she knew it was better to live everyday as your last; but personal feelings aside; Fall would rather no one else be her eyes from above than LCPL. Sustrai.

Looking over towards a man with short silver hair was Private First Class Mercury Black. He had his gray eyes focused on cleaning his M45 Tactical Shotgun. The man was loud, talkative, sarcastic, a smartass, and extremely dependable. Being the unit's newest addition to the team made it seem like he was trying extra hard to prove himself. He was the group's close quarter's combat specialist. Armed with his shotgun; he was usually the first one in a room and the last one out. Although Cinder sometimes couldn't stand the man's arrogant attitude she knew he was capable of doing his job. Hell; all of her men and women could; that's why she led them. Although PFC. Black's demeanor was similar to Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick's own, the two of them always seemed to butt heads. Minus all the internal bickering though, when it was time to gear up and go out on missions; it was strictly business.

Last but certainly not least in the room was a girl _much_ shorter than the rest of L.T. Fall's group. Corporal Neopolitan; or Neo for short. CPL. Neo was Cinder's heavy weapons specialist; and a damned good one at that. Armed with the group's M41 SSR MAV/AW rocket launcher that almost stood as tall as the girl herself; her aim was always true when a covenant vehicle needed to be blown up. Despite the girl's odd appearance; with her long wavy brown hair having unnatural pink streaks in it, the same with her eye color with her left one being brown and the other pink; she was the _happy_ one of the group as she liked to say. It was quite true though; especially with what happened in the previous missions, the girl's bubbly personality seemed to always keep the group's morale from dipping into dangerous levels. Her extremely short stature almost made it look as if she were a child clad in a battle scarred soldier's armor. Even right now, CPL. Neo was trying to fix her BDU's sleeves from covering her small hands as she tucked the excess of the sleeves into her gloves. Seeing it almost caused Cinder to chuckle; it reminded her of the first time she had seen Neo fire off a rocket from her launcher. The recoil sent the girl flat on her butt a couple feet away.

Once more looking over her squad mates; these men and women whose lives she had complete responsibility for, Lieutenant Fall felt a smirk tug at her usually impassive lips. She had led her team on countless death defying missions and trusted every single one of them with her life, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. They were truly the best of the best and she wouldn't change a damned thing about it.

Until she had received word from Captain Ozpin; who was in command of the very vessel she was on right now; a Charon-class light frigate named Beacon's Legacy. The vessel was docking on Reach and should arrive in a few hours for some _much_ needed R&R plus resupply. It was also there that apparently Cinder's squad was getting replacements. Four brand new Orbital Drop Shock Troopers; fresh out of ODST training. Although they'd be a welcome addition to her; they'd have to earn her respect on the battlefield. No ODST soldier was green behind the ears but that didn't mean she'd welcome them with open arms.

Including the four new recruits she would be in command of the largest ODST combat team she had ever heard of; bumping the usual six man team to an astounding ten man squad. She had no idea why _she_ was getting so many new replacements but if they proved to be competent, all was fine by her. This news she had received; she had spilled to the rest of her soldiers.

As she knew; she led a highly trained group of ODST. All outfitted with the UNSC's best gear and equipment for the task and second to none; except maybe the super soldier Spartans. Remembering the first time she had witnessed one of those _freaks_ sent an odd shiver down her spine before she shook her head and stood up slowly; earning her everyone's attention in the small locker room they shared together.

"You heard right, we're getting four new replacements once we land on Reach." Cinder confirmed her voice weary. "On Reach we'll be resupplied and be able to catch our breath for a bit before we head back out, so make the most of it; it'll probably be the last break we get in a _long_ while." She finished as she watched everyone's expression remain neutral, except Neo's who wore her energetic smile.

Walking over to her own locker to shed off and store her ODST uniform and helmet though, a sudden blare sounded off in the room before the speakers activated.

"First Lieutenant Fall; report to the bridge immediately." The ship's AI alerted before falling silent.

Cinder let her shoulders droop half an inch as she only placed her helmet in the locker before locking it up and turning to leave the room; on her way to head _back_ the way she had come just a half hour prior.

"I'll be back. Roman make sure everything gets done then release them until we get to Reach." Cinder ordered sternly without so much as looking back as she exited the room to begin her long trek towards the front of the ship.

Once the automatic sliding doors closed behind her, the ODST squad leader turned left down the silver metallic hallway towards where she was hailed. As the raven haired woman walked past dozens of others shuffling about and saluting her, the solemn woman closed her bright amber eyes and pondered as to what Captain Ozpin could want with her yet again.

They had gone over what was required of her and her squad on Reach and how long the ship's retrofit and resupply would take; nothing too major given what they were usually used to. But to call the squad leader of the only ODST unit on this ship for yet _another_ talk was a little odd to her. She was in command of a small detachment of ODSTs from the 105th Shock Trooper Division. It was a battalion sized element of near almost fifteen to twenty thousand shock troopers that were reassigned to various places and outposts. Personally, Lieutenant Fall didn't think there was a better breed of _Hell jumpers_ out there. Although the 105th as a whole was infamous for their brutality; Cinder ensured that her squad would uphold the professionalism that was expected of her and her soldiers.

Rounding the final corridor in the massive maze of hallways and corridors on the Vessel, the exhausted woman finally spotted the entrance towards the vessel's bridge. The doorway was flanked by two UNSC marines who held their MA37 assault rifles at the low ready as if expecting trouble. At the sight of her though, the two young looking male marines saluted before she walked inside the bridge's entrance and was greeted by the sight of a silver room lined with countless computer screens along with a wide view of space from the windows. Ignoring the countless naval personnel who were attending their duties on keeping Beacon's Legacy up to standards, Lieutenant Fall marched towards where she spotted the Captain of the frigate.

As she neared the man; who had his back towards her, Cinder took note of his dark gray naval uniform. He kept it in crisp and perfect detail along with his posture. Cinder could not remember a time in which she had seen the middle aged stoic and affable man ever slouch in his stance or duties as the commanding officer aboard Beacon's Legacy. Although he was Navy and Cinder was a Marine; Captain Ozpin had earned her respect for the countless decisions he has made throughout their campaigns together. He was no ODST but he had to mindset to make a damned fine one in her eyes.

Stopping just short of the Captain, Cinder saluted the slightly taller man and decided to make her presence known.

"Lieutenant Fall; reporting as ordered, sir." Cinder announced evenly as she stood up straight and held her salute, watching Ozpin turn around and return it.

"At ease, Lieutenant." Ozpin replied back, dropping his own salute to which Cinder dropped hers right after. "Do you know why I called you back up here?" He then asked as tiredly as the raven haired woman felt.

Cinder shook her head _no_ as she peered into Ozpin's brown eyes. She took note of the severe bags under them as well as his tousled gray hair looking as if he hadn't had a good night's rest in days. She watched him smile humorlessly as he turned back around and peered outside the massive windows that overlooked the empty space in front of them. Cinder relaxed her stance and walked to the left of the man before also indulging in the sight before her.

She looked out towards the millions of twinkling stars and empty blackness. Behind the majestic view though she knew what lie hidden in the shadows of space. The alien covenant; a conglomerate of different species of aliens who wanted nothing more than to exterminate the human race for reasons unknown. It's been a long and bloody war and coupled with the insurrectionists that still lingered around; it didn't take a genius to figure out that the UNSC was losing.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Cinder refocused her attention to the man on her right and wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or to himself, so she remained quiet.

"It seems as if our time on Reach is going to be extended a bit." Captain Ozpin continued, clasping his hands behind his back as he spoke in a low voice. "I just received a communiqué from Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb about lending some of our _best_ troops for some kind of operation."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at that, slightly annoyed.

"With all due respect sir, couldn't the Vice Admiral use… oh, maybe the countless other soldiers on Reach? Why is he requesting help from us?" Cinder countered, her tone clipped and bristling with annoyance at what she knew what was about to be in store for her and her unit.

Captain Ozpin smiled once more at her small outburst and nodded his head slowly as if agreeing with what the ODST squad leader was saying but then sighed heavily. "Trust me, I've no idea what is on the man's mind. It was way above my pay grade he informed me when I asked. I am just letting you know in advance that you will be… _on loan_ to someone serving under him most likely once we touch down on Reach."

Almost immediately, Cinder felt the entire last whole weeks of fatigue hit her then and there. She let her body slouch over a bit and huffed in anger but kept her emotions mostly in check.

"Well so much for a break." She finally uttered before allowing herself to be briefed. "So I'm guessing my Hell jumpers and I are the only ones being sent there? Any ETA on the mission length or any kind of objective?"

She watched Ozpin slowly shake his head. "Like I said, the man told me absolutely nothing. Only the bare minimum which was that he needed the best of any incoming vessels on their way to Reach for an Op. They'd be briefed once they touched down."

Cinder smiled humorlessly. It almost sounded like an ONI spook brief. She had dealings with ONI before and would rather stay as far away as she could from dealing with them ever again. Ever since she was involved with the SPARTAN-I program later known as the ORION Project; she saw the full extent of the lies covered in lies with dealing with the Office of Naval Intelligence. In fact she was wearier of them than the Covenant. At least you knew who the enemies were in the Covenant… In ONI you had no idea until it was too late.

Feeling herself growing tired and already not looking forward to having to inform her squad that their small break was cancelled, Cinder had one final question for the Captain though.

"About the replacements I'm supposed to be getting once we hit Reach; am I still receiving them?" She asked, half expecting that to be denied as well.

Ozpin hummed affirmation then though, much to Cinder's surprise. "Yes, the four new recruits are still being transferred to your unit. They should be waiting to be briefed by you once we touch down." Ozpin replied as he took out a small silver flask from his coat pocket.

Cinder watched the older man uncork the small bottle before taking a long swig from it and placing it back into a hidden coat pocket on his uniform. She had seen him drink from it before, but even after every time she watched him drink she was surprised. Cinder thought the man would have more self-control than that, but she knew the war changed people. And maybe that was his way with dealing with death and loss.

"Oh yes." The Captain then perked up as if remembering something. "I actually received the dossiers on your recruits if you want them?" He asked slyly to which Cinder nodded her head. She was slightly curious as to whom she would be receiving under her command and it couldn't hurt to read up on their files before she met them.

"Keith!" Ozpin half shouted. "Transfer the dossiers on the four new ODST soldiers we're picking up on Reach for the L.T. and transfer them to her quarters."

"Already done, sir." The male AI voice sounded through the speakers in a monotone. "Anything else?"

"That'll be all." Ozpin replied to the computer generated voice. "I'll see you when we reach… Reach, Lieutenant." He then said to Cinder in an almost apologetic voice to which she nodded to.

As she turned on her heel to leave she heard the older man mutter one last thing before she left the room however.

"I'm sorry."

She paused for half a second, but decided against responding. She left the bridge and exited through the double sliding doors. Her mood which was already not the greatest to begin with took a serious hit at hearing about her new mission to which she had no idea about, under new leadership whom she had no idea who it would be, and the briefing of four new soldiers who had no idea on how she operated. The only silver lining in this would possibly be that she would be able to try out new tactics with an over-bolstered squad of ten.

Rounding another corner still deep in thought though, the ODST squad leader bumped right into a shorter boy who seemed to be in a hurry somewhere. She watched as he fell backwards on his butt as they walked into each other and couldn't help but scoff at him. She barely felt a thing in her armor as he collided with her but watching him hit the ground with only just bumping into her made her already think the guy was pathetic.

"Watch where the hell you're going next time, moron." Cinder sneered as she looked down at the blonde boy who was now getting up, brushing himself off.

He was dressed in the standard olive green marine uniform and had short blonde hair. Once he stood up straight though she noticed his dark blue eyes widen once he became aware of whom he had run into.

"W- Whoa! You're an ODST! T- That's awesome!" The boy exclaimed with an almost childish glee to which Cinder felt herself grinding her teeth at. It seemed like he noticed as his mood turned serious suddenly though. "S- Sorry miss…" He began as he looked towards her chest plate for a name but then stood up straight and snapped off a salute once he realized he was speaking to an officer.

"M- My mistake Lieutenant! I wasn't paying attention t- to where I was going!" He then shouted.

Shaking her head and brushing past the boy, she looked at his nametag and spotted his name and rank. _Private Arc._ Ignoring the boy's salute she continued onwards towards her single barracks room. Walking through the corridors for another five minutes she arrived at the hallway that she and her unit had claimed for their own. It consisted of six rooms; three on each wall in the corridor. All of them were shared between the members of her team except her own which was the most far left one; right before their locker room and SOEIV bay which housed the drop pods used by her team.

Walking straight into her own room and past the sliding metallic door, she wasn't the least bit surprised to see Emerald sitting on her bunk looking back at her with a devious smile on her lips. She wore a black tee-shirt that had their unit's motto plastered on the front "_Jump Feet First Into Hell!"_ and gray work out shorts.

Cinder sighed before stepping inside, letting the door close behind her and walked over to the other side of her small room towards her desk and where her computer was. She could see the Lance Corporal eyeing her with pleading eyes as if wanting attention but for now she ignored her. She knew that the ship's AI; Keith would have sent the dossiers to her personal terminal and as she booted it up, she could see she had five waiting messages for her. Four from the AI containing the information on the new recruits and one from Captain Ozpin probably no doubt just about what they had gone over.

She read the title of each of the dossiers and took note of their names. She could hear Emerald walking over to her and felt the girl's warm and inviting fingers at her shoulders. Instantly she felt her upper body melt into the girl's touch as she massaged her stiff shoulders.

"Come on, Cinder. Let's relax before we get to Reach." Emerald cooed in a lustful manner.

Cinder only allowed the girl to call her by her first name while they were alone and being intimate. Although she really liked the girl, she opted to keep their relationship mostly a secret. She was sure most if not all of her squaddies knew of the forbidden bonding the girls did but if they were aware they had never said anything to her about it. She didn't choose or pick favorites however during missions. It was all business, but while alone… She couldn't help but give in to her desires for the dark skinned girl.

But for now, she'd have to decline. She wouldn't inform the girl about the change of plans for once they hit Reach, but she wanted to read up on these new recruits.

"Not now, Sustrai. I just got the dossiers on our new incoming ODSTs and I want to go through them before we arrive at Reach."

She could feel the disappointment even from the girl's hands as the massage became less lively but she heard the girl accept her decision behind her.

"Okay…"

Cinder frowned a bit but decided to click on the first file which brought up a picture of a young looking girl with dark red hair and silver eyes as she gave whoever took the picture a small smile; revealing a perfect line of white teeth. Cinder had to admit the girl was quite attractive though.

Her name was Ruby Rose, a Lance Corporal and veteran of a few battles against the Covenant; which included the Battle of Ariel. She served as her old unit's marksman before attending sniper school and then ODST combat jump schooling and graduating with stunning marks.

"Not bad." Cinder heard Emerald comment as she closed Ruby's file and opened the next one.

The next dossier was of a blonde haired girl who wore a cocky grin and had light purple irises. She too was decent looking and Cinder couldn't help but notice the fierce determination in her eyes. Her name was Yang Xiao Long, a Private First Class. Cinder noticed that the girl had actually participated in the same exact battles as the previous girl; Ruby Rose. They even were in the same unit; Yang served as the squad's explosives specialist. She and Ruby Rose attended and graduated ODST schooling on the same date. She chalked it up as the two were close and most likely knew each other; not a bad thing.

The third file was of a serious looking girl with jet black hair and piercing golden eyes. She almost looked as if she had seen her fair share of death and war to which Cinder could respect. Her file was surprisingly tame. One odd note on her file though hinted that the girl was caught for hacking into classified files on more than one occasion which earned her disciplinary action and a demotion early on in her military career. Private Blake Belladonna; despite the obvious negative marks, the girl seemed like she could be an asset to Cinder, if she could listen and follow orders.

The final dossier was of another female; named Weiss Schnee. Seeing her last name though caused Cinder to cock her head in thought.

"Schnee… Schnee…? Where have I heard that name before?" She asked loudly, more to herself than to Emerald.

"Rear Admiral William Schnee?" Emerald asked, to which Cinder finally put two and two together. If this girl was related to a Rear Admiral… She was more than curious as to what she was doing transferring to an ODST unit as an enlisted soldier.

Lance Corporal Weiss Schnee had long white hair that flowed behind her with cold looking ice blue eyes. The girl also had a prominent scar that ran along left eye. Despite being well connected it seemed as if the girl had fought in a few bloody battles; some even Cinder herself had participated in. The girl had notes that showed she was highly intelligent but also slightly a bit of a rebel. This could explain as to why she had signed up in the marines as enlisted instead of following in her father's footsteps. Cinder hoped that she wouldn't receive any flak for being in command of this girl who had ties to an Admiral. She couldn't wait to hear the backstory on that little elephant in the room when it presented itself.

Leaning back in her chair now, she closed her eyes as she felt Emerald pick up the pace in massaging her back. Judging from the records of these four new girls; they seemed as if they would fit right into her little squad. Not like they would have a choice however, it seemed as if Cinder's crew was going to be dropped right into what she could already tell would be a long and grueling Op.

Allowing herself to fully relax at the mercy of Emerald's hands, it wasn't long until Cinder felt the woman begin kissing on her neck and unfastening the straps and latches of her armor. With her eyes still closed though First Lieutenant Cinder Fall sighed inwardly at the news she would have to tell her squad soon. But for now she was going to allow herself to get some _much_ needed relaxation.

Tomorrow was sure going to be an interesting day.


	2. Welcome to the ODST

**A/N: Well even though this is a side project; I'm having fun with this. I'm not sure how fast / slow I want to make this, so if you all think I'm taking the story a little too slow; just let me know in the review. Also this story will _not_ only take place on Reach. In fact most of it won't, but those who know the story about this planet and the upcoming engagements; I found a way for them to get off the planet without making it lore breaking. So stay tuned.**

**Anyways enjoy the next chapter!**

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><p><strong>July 23, 2552<strong>

_Aboard UNSC Beacon's Legacy en route to Planet Reach_

_ -09:22-_

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><p>"So that's what is happening. All requests for passes into New Alexandria have been revoked and denied." Lieutenant Fall announced loudly as she slowly paced back and forth in the locker room. She watched the faces of her soldiers drop to anger, scorn, and confusion; she couldn't blame them.<p>

"Looks like we've been lucky enough to be _handpicked_ to participate in some kind of secret op from an Admiral." Cinder continued boastfully. "It seems like even the high ranking naval guys need the help from us! And who are we?" She asked, her voice rising in note.

She watched the emotions change on her soldiers' faces as they began to become inspired. The once forlorn looks becoming replaced with masks of anticipation, eagerness, and the right amount of cockiness.

"Jump feet first into hell! O.D.S.T.!" All the members shouted back at her, stomping their boots into the ground simultaneously.

Cinder gave her squad one her rare smirks before she continued. "Damn right we are. So suit up and gear up; we got shit to do."

She watched her troopers nod their heads obediently before moving to their lockers to begin gearing up. Turning to her own locker, Cinder recalled the sparse mission details Captain Ozpin had sent to her terminal last night. After Emerald had fallen asleep after they had finished; Cinder returned to her computer and read the last E-Mail that was addressed to her from Ozpin.

As brief as it was, it only went over who their contact was once they had landed on Reach. She and her men would be reporting to a Lieutenant Buckman of Charlie Company. Something about safeguarding a facility where a new project was being developed.

Reading about the sparse mission brief set a few alarms off in Cinder's mind. Baby-sitting structures were not something ODSTs did. And if they were ordered to do so; it'd most likely be an ONI project. That was the next red flag in her head; ONI. She had dealt with them before and would more than anything _not_ want her squad to be exposed to them. She had an inkling that whoever was leading this operation specifically chose her. She knew she could never escape ONI officials; not after she was involved in the ORION project. The Office of Naval Intelligence would always keep their eyes on the surviving members of that assignment.

"Are we going in loud or quiet for this mission, El tee?" Cinder heard Corporal Neo ask; snapping the woman out of her thoughts.

Fastening her black armor chest piece into place; Cinder adjusted it before replying without looking towards the smaller girl. "Take your usual load-outs. I don't think we'll need to go in quiet."

As she continued gearing herself up; finishing with her armor and adjusting her full helmet on, Cinder could hear Neo's excitement building up. Her squad had two different load-out variants that she had determined they would use on missions and operations; depending. Their _usual_ load-outs would consist of the squads predetermined weapons fitting into what they all specialized in plus their secondary. For example since Corporal Neo was the team's heavy weapons specialist, she would carry the M41 SSR MAV/AW rocket launcher as well as an MA37 assault rifle.

But sometimes they would be inserted into specific territories that would warrant lighter gear as well as the certain element of subterfuge. On these special operations, Cinder would order her squad to take the M7S. A silenced submachine gun; and a personal favorite of hers. She usually took it along with her on any mission she _jumped_ into.

Shutting her locker up; Lieutenant Fall watched her crew suit up and walk over to their weapon racks. She watched all of them speak amongst themselves as they outfitted and grabbed their respective weapons. Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick and Sergeant Tukson both grabbing a MA37 assault rifle, Emerald taking her SRS 99 sniper rifle, Mercury opting to take his M45 shotgun as well as an M7S submachine gun, and then finally Neo grabbing a BR55 battle rifle along with her rocket launcher; struggling to carry it on her back; to which Emerald helped the small girl.

Cinder walked towards the weapons rack herself and picked up her usual M7S submachine gun and her sidearm; an M6S or otherwise known as the Automag. A semi-automatic silenced pistol. The raven haired team leader always opted to carry lighter weapons; taking extra ammunition instead of weighing herself down with bulkier guns.

Holstering her weapons and double checking herself one final time; she addressed her squad.

"We'll be on Reach in a few minutes, and although we're not dropping in; treat this like any other combat mission." She started, earning nods from everyone; she could no longer see their faces as everyone was fully geared and helmeted. "Once we land we'll also be getting the newest additions to our team; I've read up on them, they'll fit right in."

"So that means I'm not the FNG anymore?" Mercury asked incredulously.

"No, but you'll always be the dumbest." Roman then informed the younger man, earning a slight chuckle throughout the group and an annoyed grunt from PFC. Black.

Cinder ignored the comments and prepared to continue speaking but was interrupted by Beacon's Legacy's comms sounding off throughout the hull.

"This Captain Ozpin; all hands brace for atmosphere re-entry." The Captain's voice rang out momentarily.

The sudden stillness of the ship was changed by a slight rocking and swaying causing Cinder and her team to wobble a bit.

"Find a seat and hang on." Cinder ordered through her helmet's internal comms; watching her soldiers all sit down on the crates, hanging on to steady themselves.

The vibrations and clanking of various loose weapons and armor in the locker room was deafening, even with her helmet on. Cinder closed her eyes and tilted her head backwards a bit as she fell into thought once more. The feeling was similar to when she was rocketing towards a planet for insertion by SOEIV drop pod; although not as violent.

Even though this mission was just to safeguard or protect something; maybe she was looking at it all wrong. Cinder and her team wouldn't be in any danger. There was no Covenant on or even around Reach. The only thing they may off-handedly have to deal with was maybe insurrectionists; and even then the chances of that were slim. Maybe this was a break for her team in a way. A little breather from the war. Just thinking about how easy this op would actually be now caused the squad leader to smirk behind her helmet's visor.

_Maybe things won't be so bad down there._

Another buzzer sounded as the ship's rocking motions died down then.

"Beacon's Legacy… Welcome to Reach."

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><p><strong>July 23, 2552<strong>

_Planet Reach, Eposz_

_-10:01-_

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><p>"Why don't you just sit down, sis? They'll be here soon."<p>

Lance Corporal Ruby Rose looked over to her left at her older sister for perhaps the thirtieth time within the last half hour and grunted. Ever since she spotted the UNSC Beacon's Legacy dry dock at the Aszod ship yard she couldn't help but feel giddy and anxious. She just _needed_ to move around!

"I- I can't, Yang… We're finally going to meet our squad!" Ruby happily announced as she continued to pace back and forth in her full gear.

She along with her older sister Yang were accompanied by two others in full ODST gear. Their new armor was spotless like their own and she figured they too were new graduates of the school; arriving to be placed on the same squad as them. Although Ruby was initially curious as to whom they were, her attempts at being friendly were shot down rather quickly, earning her a chuckle from her sister.

Although the other two others were silent and unwilling to speak to her, she was glad to have her older sister with her, by her side once more. Yang Xiao Long was Ruby Rose's older half-sister but the two of them had grown up together ever since they were little; they considered each other full-blooded family. Yang was only a year older than Ruby herself, but the two of them enlisted together at the age of eighteen and were lucky enough to be placed on the same marine unit before they both were offered to test into the ODSTs; passing with great marks.

Ruby knew she was beyond lucky to have been attached with her sister throughout the war while they were enlisted and again now, placed in the same ODST unit. It was already a miracle that they had both survived the countless battles they had been a part of; but of course not unscathed. They both lost a lot of friends to the alien Covenant and rebel Insurrectionists, but at least they still had each other. For that, LCPL. Rose couldn't be happier.

"Trust me sis, I'm _sure_ our new squad leader is just itching to meet us as well. Just… _try_ to be calm though, okay?" Yang once again probed the younger girl playfully.

Ruby exhaled finally and took a seat next to her sister, on one of the many window sills overlooking the dry docking yards. Although now seated, Ruby couldn't help but tap her gloved fingers against her armored leg. She watched Yang run her hands through her short blonde hair that she was so fond of. Ruby remembered when the girl's hair reached all the way to the small of her back before they enlisted. She was forced to cut it in basic training. When Yang had first learned of that, the blonde girl had run as fast as she could from the recruiting station; although she finally relented and agreed to cut it. Over the years though, she let her hair grow back. Now it was reaching just to her shoulders; not quite as long as before but she still kept it in great shape. Perhaps even in better shape than her weapon while in the field.

Sighing and looking over towards the other two recruits, sat across from her sister and herself; Ruby narrowed her eyes. One of them; a Lance Corporal like herself had white hair that was tied in a short side ponytail to the left. From what Ruby had spotted earlier on her nametag her last name was Schnee. It sounded familiar to the younger girl but she wasn't sure where she had heard that name from before. LCPL. Schnee was sitting on the ground with her back against the wall; currently she was fidgeting with her armor, trying to readjust it as if it were uncomfortable to wear.

Looking over to the right of Schnee was the other person who Ruby had no idea of if it was a boy or a girl. Ever since she arrived to wait in the room with Yang, that other soldier had been there, just sitting with their back against the wall and their arms crossed. They had their helmet on the whole time, masking their identity and not once had they uttered a word or even acknowledged the other people in the room. It was slightly unsettling to Ruby but she was able to sneak a peek at the soldier's nametag. Private Belladonna was their name, and Ruby felt a small sense of pride in being one of the higher ranking people in the room; other than Schnee who held the same rank.

Growing bored with just waiting in silence, the only sounds of her tapping her leg; Ruby decided once more to introduce herself to the other two ODST figures in the room.

"So… Schnee?" Ruby started, earning an annoyed look from the white haired girl and shattering whatever courage Ruby initially had when she started. "I- ah. Well… I like guns!" Ruby blurted.

She heard her sister Yang bust out laughing at her idiotic outburst and watched LCPL. Schnee roll her ice blue eyes in vexation before readjusting her gear once again; completely ignoring Ruby.

Exhaling sadly, the short crimson haired girl slumped back against the window sill in defeat and felt Yang place a reassuring hand at her back.

"Better luck next time, sis." The blonde merrily voiced before taking a more serious tone. "Everyone is on edge, just relax Rubes."

Nodding her head slightly and grabbing hold of her helmet, the young girl decided to just play with it as she waited. She was at her wit's end waiting for her new squad leader to pick them up. The only information she was given about their new leader was that her name was First Lieutenant Cinder Fall. Other than that she had no idea what the woman looked like, how she operated, or anything. Of course it was somewhat unsettling to be dropped into a brand new Spec Ops unit, but at least she wasn't alone. That and she was confident in her skill with an SRS 99 sniper rifle, she hoped that she could serve as this unit's designated sniper.

Exhaling deeply once more, Ruby stared at the double metallic doors and hoped that whoever was going to meet them would walk through already. The sitting and waiting game was grueling to her; she was an ODST for Christ's sake! She wasn't used to sitting still and waiting. Although she also was a sniper so maybe she was; Ruby had no idea. All she knew was that she just wanted someone, anyone to come through that damned door!

Not a second after the girl's thought though, did she finally get her wish.

Watching the double sliding doors swish open; Ruby quickly looked up, as well as the other three members to greet their new team leader and squad.

Walking away from the doors were six fully combat dressed and geared ODSTs. All had their helmets on so Ruby couldn't distinguish who was who from any of them, but the one walking in front of the rest had a silver bar etched on their chest plate representing a First Lieutenant rank. She could tell the rest of the soldiers who followed her had enlisted ranks, so she refocused her attention on the obvious female figure who she figured was the leader of the group.

She watched the woman stop in the center of the small docking room and look at each and every one them before pulling her helmet off and revealing shoulder length black hair that seemed to whiten at the tips. Her amber eyes scanned Ruby's own silver ones before looking over the others in the room. In that slight moment their eyes met though, Ruby felt something odd in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was but she sensed something from that woman.

"You're the new recruits?"

The way the Lieutenant voiced the question sounded more like a statement to Ruby, but she was more focused on the older woman's voice. It resonated almost as if she were a singer at one point in her life. Her words sounded melodic in nature; and it was then and there that Ruby decided that she would have no problems listening to the woman's orders anytime.

"Yes ma'am! Lance Corporal Weiss Schnee, reporting as ordered."

Ruby turned towards the earlier cold girl, watching her snap off a crisp salute as she stood up straight. It seemed as if she had abandoned her old detached attitude towards Ruby herself in the presence of their new squad leader.

Turning back towards the Lieutenant though, Ruby spotted her looking towards her sister. Without missing a beat though, Yang stood up quickly; dropping her helmet in the process towards the ground with a metallic echo.

"Private First Class Yang Xiao Long, ma'am! Explosives specialist; I make things go out… with a Yang!" The blonde announced loudly as she snapped off her salute with a wide grin.

Ruby internally face palmed at her sister's antics but kept her eyes on the senior ODSTs. No one said a word, but Ruby had an inkling that they had their exterior comms off and were most likely making fun of Yang through their internal ones. The Lieutenant however kept her still impassive face on and didn't so much as blink towards Yang before turning her gaze towards Ruby to which the girl felt her eyes widen a bit as she stumbled over her words.

"I- I'm Lance Corporal R- Ruby Rose, ma'am! Sniper and marksman qualified." She quickly shouted while juggling her helmet in her hand as she saluted.

She still said nothing as she turned towards the final member of the four new troopers. Ruby turned her head to look at the mysterious helmeted recruit as well; dropping her salute in the process.

The last member stood up slowly before taking their helmet off and revealing their face. It was a girl.

She had jet black hair that came down just as far as Yang's own; to her shoulders. Her golden eyes were fierce with her face scrunched into a scowl as if she were pissed off about something.

"Private Blake Belladonna, ma'am. Data retrieval." The girl now known as Blake Belladonna stated in a low voice, snapping a salute.

Ruby could tell the girl was less than enthused about speaking at the moment, but was more than surprised to hear the Lieutenant actually ask Belladonna a question.

"Data retrieval? Or hacking expert?" The team leader asked with a hint of superiority in her tone.

Without a second's thought though, Private Belladonna responded to her question. "Aren't they both the same thing?"

LCPL. Rose could feel her eyebrows shoot up her forehead at the boldness of Belladonna. Answering the commissioned officer's question with another question most certainly wasn't something Ruby herself wanted to do on their first meeting. She wasn't sure how to feel about that Blake girl but she had an idea as to why she was still just a _Private_.

"I suppose it's all about perspective." The team leader chuckled out; the first sign of emotion on her face before looking at all the girls once more. "Alright, listen up. My name is First Lieutenant Cinder Fall. I'm not here to hold your hand or baby-sit you, I'm here to lead you into combat and make sure you don't get yourself killed. Follow my orders and everything will be perfect." The El Tee explained in a calm voice before narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.

"Fuck up and don't follow them…? Then we've got a problem. I don't know how they did it in your old unit but I personally don't accept failure. You're ODSTs now; act like it." She finished before taking half a step back.

"This is your new team." She announced before turning towards the other fully geared soldiers she walked in with. "Introduce yourselves to the FNGs."

Ruby kept her straight posture as she watched a taller soldier take a step forward before taking his helmet off and revealing bright orange hair. His bangs were swept over his right green eye and he wore a cocky grin, similar to Yang's own.

"Gunnery Sergeant Torchwick. Just call me 'Gunny'." He announced before smirking.

Ruby continued to watch the rest of the ODSTs take their helmets off, revealing their faces and genders. The next one who introduced themselves was a burly man who looked older than everyone else in the squad. His short jet black hair and hazel eyes made him look just like an average down on your luck guy as his facial expression looked as if he was always stuck frowning.

"Sergeant Tukson or 'Doc'. I'm the team's corpsman."

Next up was an extremely short girl with odd hair coloring that seemed to mirror her eyes. Brown and pink pupils. She seemed like the oddest out of the group as she was much too small to look like a soldier; coupled with the rocket launcher she had strapped to her back, it was almost comical to Ruby; the girl's appearance. She couldn't help but wonder how she passed basic training. Let alone ODST jump schooling.

"Corporal Neopolitan! But you guys can call me 'Neo' for short. Nice to meet you all!" She happily exclaimed as she performed a polite curtsey.

Ruby even heard her sister mutter something about her being _adorable _under her breath. She really hoped Yang could keep it in her pants and not leap at the first signs of an attractive girl in their unit. She had gotten in a little trouble with that in their prior unit; flirting with the company's CO. Although Ruby couldn't believe that the woman flirted back with Yang back then.

"Lance Corporal Emerald Sustrai or just 'Em' for short. I'm the team's Sniper." A dark skinned girl with short mint green hair announced.

Ruby locked her eyes with the girl's blood red ones and could feel something akin to a challenge in her glance. It faintly unsettled the shorter girl, but upon hearing that Emerald was the team's sniper; it already made Ruby want to be better than her.

"And saving the best for last as usual!" The last guy with short silver hair bellowed out. "Private First Class Mercury Black. C.Q.C. specialist; I blow them down to the ground!"

Multiple snorts were heard in the room when the loud and boastful guy finished his introduction, but then Lieutenant Fall spoke up once more.

"That's my team, they are _the_ best of the best, and I expect you to be as well." She commanded sternly, earning head nods from all the new recruits.

When no one said anything as she continued eyeing them as if contemplating something before speaking up once again.

"You all joined up right on time. We have a mission to head out on right now and seeing as none of you are armed…" Lieutenant Fall turned around to look behind her before settling her eyes on the silver haired guy. "Merc, show them their lockers aboard the ship and get them geared out and ready to go. Meet back here in ten."

"Got it, El Tee." Merc muttered before turning on his heel and heading back inside the metallic double doors.

It was then that Ruby finally realized that she had to follow him, along with Yang, Weiss, and Blake. Quickly gathering up her belongings; Ruby and the others hurried behind Mercury who already passed through the double doors.

It was then that Ruby felt her blood pumping for the first time ever since she had graduated from jump school. She was now a part of a real ODST team. She'd be partaking in some of the bloodiest and most delicate missions in the UNSC. She could only hope that she wouldn't screw up.

Right as she and the other three girls reached the sliding metallic doors however, she heard Lieutenant Fall call out to them in that velvety smooth voice of hers once more; causing Ruby to feel a cold shiver run up her spine.

"Welcome to the 105th…"


End file.
